The 2024 South Florida Fair, an annual event held in West Palm Beach, gathers Jupiter High students as they attend for pleasure, volunteering, working and displaying their art. Themed “Dive Into The Fun,” the fair will be held from Jan. 12 till Jan. 28.
The Fairgrounds open at 10 a.m. on weekdays and 12 p.m. on weekends, with general admission prices starting at $15 on weekdays and $20 on weekends. Ride tickets are also available for purchase, which are $30 on weekdays or $45 on weekends.
“I’d recommend going, riding rides and just having fun. It gives more opportunity to be friendly and meet people from all over South Florida,” Alejandro Robinette, senior and volunteer at the fair, said.
Relating to the theme, aquatic life, a stingray touch tank, sea lions, nurse sharks, a humpback whale encounter and an aquarium are open to visitors.
“I really loved this year’s theme and getting to touch the stingrays,” Lulani Kritchman, sophomore, said. “There was even food dedicated to this year’s theme, which I thought was really cool.”
The Fair invited JHS students to showcase their theme-correlated artwork. Jaden Burke, junior, has her artwork featured this year after previously being featured her freshman year. This year, Burke created a digital collage featuring images she took.
“I took the original photo of my friend on a statue manatee to get the most cohesive look as possible, then took a picture of the sunset that night and combined the two together,” Burke said
Students were given the opportunity to submit their artwork through JHS’s art classes and produce collaborative pieces for display.
“Ms. Knudston knew I could make something fun and my friend thought it was funny and awesome she got to be featured in the work,” Burke said.
The Fair originated in 1912, expanding as Palm Beach County gave approximately 100 acres of land for production, adding to the 35 acres present.
Starting with only open air markets, vegetables and agricultural promotion, over 100 years later the fair has expanded to have shops, games, competitions, livestock exhibitions, shows and a year-long preparation process.
Yesteryear Village, a separate attraction at the fair, holds pig and cattle shows where attendees have the opportunity to bid on these pigs. The judges rate the pigs based on different aspects and decide who will receive the top award.
“They judge the pigs we show based on stature, balance, how well we treat the pig and how much control we have over the pig,” Jupiter High senior, member of The Future Farmers of America (FFA), said.
The FFA incorporates students from Jupiter High, including Robinette, to volunteer and judge cattle as well.
“For the years I’ve gone to the fair, I’ve usually gone because of FFA and to judge the cows in a competition,” Robinette said. “We judge cattle based on deformations in the utters, how the animal walks, whether the knees were buckled, how healthy they seem, how much meat is on them and if the milk bags from the cattle are full, because all of the animals are female.”
With over 200 food trucks and well-known food vendors, the fair has become known for some of its traditional fan favorites, such as “Mama Jug” tea stands. With 8 different flavors to try, Mama Jug’s is popular amongst the fairgrounds.
“The Mama Jugs tea stands are my favorite. Anytime you see me at the fair I have a jug of tea,” Robinette said.
Along with the wide array of food, the fair has rides for all ages.
“My favorite ride at the fair is the swings. Every year I go to the fair, I make sure I visit the swings and I get to feel like a little kid again,” Kritchman said.
